Each issue of the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (J-SAC) is devoted to a specific technical area within the scope of the IEEE Communications Society. Papers submitted to the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (J-SAC) must be targeted to a specific J-SAC issue for which a call for papers has been published. These calls for papers are published in J-SAC and in other appropriate publications of the IEEE Communications Society. In general, material which has been previously copyrighted, published, or accepted for publication will not be considered for publication in the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. Exceptions to this rule include items that have had limited distribution, have been printed in Abstract form only, or have appeared in Convention Records or Digests. Please refer to the IEEE Policy on Self-Plagiarism. All papers are considered on the basis of their individual merit alone, and the fact that a paper may have been accepted for presentation at a conference does not ensure its acceptance for publication in the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. In many cases, a conference paper must be substantially revised to meet the technical standards maintained by the Journal. A manuscript identical to or largely based upon a conference paper must be so identified. All papers are reviewed by competent referees and are considered in the basis of their significance, novelty, and usefulness to the Journal readership.

Journal papers should be concisely written and be no longer than 20 double-spaced pages (12-point font, approximately 26 lines per page with 6.5-inch line length) excluding figures. It is essential that each manuscript be accompanied by a 75- to 200-word abstract clearly outline the scope and contributions of the paper and by index terms.

All papers must be written in English. Introductory discussion should be kept to a minimum, and material published elsewhere should be referenced rather than reproduced or paraphrased. Authors should strive for maximum clarity of expression, bearing in mind that the purpose of publication is dissemination of technical knowledge and that an excessively complex or poorly written presentation can only obscure the significance of the work described. Care should be taken in the organization of the paper, such that a logical and consistent progression of thought is evident. It is strongly suggested that theorems, derivations, calculations, and other elements of a paper which are not essential to the continuity of the text be placed in Appendices. Authors with language difficulties should, whenever possible, obtain the assistance of a colleague fluent in English before submitting a manuscript for publication.

All authors must enclose signed IEEE copyright forms when their paper is submitted for publication. All papers must have company clearance before submission and are presumed to contain no proprietary material unprotected by patent or patent application. Responsibility for technical content and for protection of proprietary material rests solely with the author and the author's organization and is in no way the responsibility of the IEEE or its editorial staff. The format of manuscript submitted to the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications must follow IEEE editorial and typographical standards, as described in "Information for IEEE Authors," available on request from the IEEE Transactions/Journal Department, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 or email trans@ieee.org or fax 732-562-0545. In particular, illustrations must be provided which are suitable for reproduction within one column without redrawing or retouching.

Five copies each of the abstract, the manuscript, and the illustrations (but not the original illustrations themselves) should be submitted for consideration to the Guest Editor of the issue to which the paper is targeted. All submissions are reviewed by competent referees who will recommend acceptance, modification, or unacceptability of the material for Journal publication.

Authors should be aware of the IEEE Policy on Electronic Preprints.

Once a paper is accepted for publication, supplementary materials, such as author biographies and photographs and original illustrations, will be requested. Authors of accepted manuscripts will be asked to provide the final version of their manuscript on a floppy disk along with a hard copy. The operating system and software used to create the file must be noted on the disk. IEEE can process most commercial software programs. The preferred programs are TeX, LaTeX, Word, and WordPerfect. (Use standard macros.) An IEEE LaTeX style file can be obtained by email from help@ep.ieee.org or from the Web at http://www.ieee.org. An Authors Electronic Guide can be obtained on the Web at http://www.ieee.org or requested from trans@ieee.org or by fax at 732-562-0545. Figures, tables, and author photographs can also be submitted electronically along with hard copies. TIFF, postscript, and encapsulated postscript files are accepted. Before submitting graphics, please review the electronic graphics guidelines available on the Web at http://www.ieee.org/organizations/pubs/transactions/information.htm. Further information will be provided closer to the publication date.

After a manuscript has been accepted for publication, the author's company or institution will be requested to pay a charge of $110 per printed page to cover part of the cost of publication. Page charges for this Journal are not obligatory, nor is their payment a prerequisite for publication. The author will receive 100 free reprints if the page charge is honored. Detailed instruction will accompany the page proof.